The present invention relates to a wear compensation mechanism which is incorporated in a multi-disc clutch; and in particular to a wear compensation mechanism which allows an intermediate plate to follow-up or compensate for the wear of a clutch disc even when the thickness of the clutch disc between a flywheel at the input side and an intermediate plate is diminished due to wear thereof.
A conventional multi-disc clutch includes a spring mechanism disposed between a casing and a pressure plate which biases the pressure plate toward a flywheel for pressing to fasten a clutch disc arranged between the pressure plate and an intermediate pressure plate (hereinbelow referred to as "intermediate plate") and another clutch disc arranged between the intermediate plate and the flywheel so that the rotational torque of the flywheel secured to an input shaft is transmitted to an output shaft.
The flywheel, an intermediate ring, the intermediate plate, the pressure plate and the casing are rotated together with the input shaft irrespective of engegement and disengagement of the clutch. The casing is secured to the flywheel by means of the intermediate ring. The intermediate plate is linked with the intermediate ring disposed radially outside thereof by means of a connecting means (e.g., straps). The straps also serve as the leaf spring and is adapted to bias the intermediate plate toward the casing and adapted to disengage the clutch disc between the flywheel and the intermediate plate from the flywheel by moving the intermediate plate toward the casing (i.e., apart from the flywheel) until the intermediate plate reaches at a given position when the release mechanism linked with the sring mechanism is actuated.
The pressure plate is linked with the casing by means of another connecting means (e.g., straps). When the release mechanism is actuated, the pressure plate is moved toward the casing by a predetermined stroke length by means of the release mechanism for disengaging the clutch disc between the pressure plate and the intermediate plate.
In the case where the clutch disc between the flywheel and the intermediate plate has been worn, the pressure plate is upon engagement offset by a length equal to the reduction in thickness of the clutch disc due to wear toward the flywheel by being biased by the spring mechanism.